Editor's note: This is one in a series visiting preseason drills for area high school football teams. The series will run through Saturday, Aug. 23. The MLive Muskegon Chronicle's preview section is scheduled to appear in print Sunday, Aug. 24.

MUSKEGON, MI – After making the playoffs for the first time in school history last year, Mona Shores is looking for bigger and better things.

The Sailors kick off preseason camp with huge expectations and that starts within the program.

Mona Shores quarterback Tyree Jackson passes downfield as head coach Matt Koziak watches in the background during football practice at the school on August 12, 2014. (Ken Stevens | MLive.com)

Mona Shores coach Matt Koziak was pretty frank about his goals for the program entering his fourth season as coach at his alma mater. Mona Shores went 7-3 last year and lost to Lowell in the playoffs.

“I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder where we made the playoffs and it was exciting and we had some great players and then it’s back to how Shores used to be,” Koziak said. “I want to us play at a high level. On paper, we’re better than we were last year. Our goal is nothing short, we want to win the OK Black, we want to make the playoffs and we want to win the state championship. I know that might sound weird coming from Mona Shores, but if that’s not our expectations, what are we doing?”

Mona Shores will get it started on a statewide stage with a road game at Saline on Friday, Aug. 29. The Sailors have taken some heat about dropping Muskegon Catholic Central off their schedule as the traditional opener, but they feel it is best in the long run to move on. Next year, Mona Shores starts a Week 1 series against Holland West Ottawa.

“It’s the most excited I’ve been defensively since I’ve been here for our team. That’s a key factor for us,” Koziak said. “The games we lost last year we scored three touchdowns or more. We want three touchdowns to win us a game because we want to be that stingy. We’re really optimistic.

“The fact that it’s exciting that we could possibly play really good defense this year, who knows how far we could go because of that.”

Mark Opfermann covers sports for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at mopferma@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.